Food-preserving container.



J. G. HODGSON.

FOOD PRESERVING CONTAINER.

APPLICATION man FEB. 18. 1914- 15203575. Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

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J OHN Gr. HODGSON, OF MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN CAN COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A COEIPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FOOD-PRESEEVING CONTAINER.

Mar-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

Application filed February 18, 1914. Serial No. 819,362.

food preserving containers and it relates to the means for hermetically sealing the container, consisting of the combination with the sheet metal container and its sheet metal cover and interposed gasket of a spring wire clasp formed to rest at several points upon the cover and to hook against the container body at the sides with a biting engagement as more fully hereinafter set forth and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification.

In said drawing, Figure 1 is a top or plan view of a sheet metal can or container, its cover, and the spring wire holder. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical central section of the cover of the container.

There has been a large and constantly increasing demand for some kind of container in which food may be easily hermetically sealed for the purpose of preserving the same by processes of sterilization by means of heat and for purposes of transportation of unsterilized food products. A common device for this purpose has been one consisting of a glass jar with a glass cover, sealed by means of an interposed gasket usually of rubber and held in place by a sheet steel spring clip or clasp. These glass containers do most excellent service, but are expensive, and it is the purpose of the present invention to produce an equally effective device of sheet metal at a greatly lessened cost.

In the accompanying drawing A represents a common sheet metal can or food preserving container having at one end the ordinary head B centrally perforated with the usual mouth or opening, such mouth being surrounded by a grooved side Z) to re ceive the cover 0 provided at its edge'with the gasket D, preferably of rubber or similar material. The head or breast B is secured to the walls by the customary soldered slip joint E. The clasp G is made of a single piece of wire bent into hook form at each end as at g so that the end of the wire will come into biting contact with the body of the can. Between the hooks g, g the body of the wire is bent downward to give the whole a spring action and at the place where the wire comes into contact with the cover C the wire is given a lateral bending to cause it to rest upon the side cover with a lateral bearing sufficient to prevent any rocking of the wire and so that the cover shall be held down firmly all around upon the can head.

To apply the spring wire holder to the container the person using it will press it into position laterally by swinging one end of the wire clip in an arc about the other end of the hook clip as a pivot and by then pressing the ends of the holder and the cover downward as far and as tightly as possible. By this method of attachment to which the device is adapted by its peculiar structure, the clip is very securely attached as the straight hook points not only take under the shoulder formed by the can top flange, but also dig into the metal of the container body in such fashion that they would suffice to hold the clip in place even if they should encounter the can body at some distance below said shoulder. And as the construction is also such as will be understood from the drawing, that by a similar rotary swing of the clip it may be readily removed notwithstanding its firm grip when in place. The downward bend of the spring holder is an important aid in maintaining the cover in tightly sealed position, because any tendency of the holder to straighten, by reason of upward pressure of the gasket and cover, is accompanied by a tendency of the ends 9 to approach each other, and as they cannot approach they engage or bite the sides of the can more strongly.

To use this device in the preservation of foods, the house-wife places the food to be preserved in the vessel either in a sufliciently heated state to sterilize it, or heats it in the container for that purpose to a sufiicient de gree, then applies the cover with its gasket D which should preferably be cemented to the cover and immediately slips on and springs circularly to position the wire holding clip, which will serve to hold the cover firmly down upon the container until the contents of the container have become cool, after which the atmospheric pressure upon the exterior of the cover brought about by the cooling and consequent shrinking (iii of the contents will serve to holdrthe cover 7 in place, so that the house-wife may test the hermetical character of the seal, and the con sequent likelihood of the preservation of the contents of the container, by slipping ofi the wire spring holder temporarily to find whether or not the cover is held firmly in,

place by the pressure of the air. If it is not so held that fact shows that there has been a leak and indicates that the container and its contents should be again heated and sealed.

After such test the wire holder is easily according to the pressure applied and irrespective of the can end or body flange, with a biting engagement, and formed with a lat- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. 7

erally extended bent portion to engage and press down on the cover.

2. The wire spring can-cover holder made with hooked ends adapted to engage the can body and a laterally extended and downwardly bent spring portion to engage and press down on the cover, in combination with the can, its cover and a packing'between the cover and can, the upward pressure of the cover on the downwardly bent portion of the holder acting to force the hooked ends against'the sides of the can with a biting engagement and at various heights according to the pressure applied'and irrespective of the an end or body flange. V

Signed this 10th day of February, 1914, in the presence of two witnesses. V

JOHN G. HODGSON. \jVitnesses ESTHER ABRAMs,

H. M. MUNDAY.

Washington, D. C. 

